Field Technician and Beekeeper Relations Dalan Animal Health, Inc. Athens, Georgia
As brood pathogens still have no approved, effective treatment method, research into understanding honey bees' immune systems is necessary to forage new methods. Understanding the immune pathways of honey bee queens and the role of vitellogenin led to a novel treatment method utilizing trans generational immune priming. Trans generational immune priming allows the queens' offspring to be exposed to pathogenic material she consumed prior to hatching, allowing the honey bee larvae to be protected once they do hatch. This is a significant development in treatments for these brood pathogens that kill larvae in the first 3 instars.
